A Birmingham woman’s life was changed forever when a dog licking a small wound led to her developing a life-threatening septic infection. The 56-year-old suffered multiple cardiac arrests and had his quadriceps amputated.
An Indian-origin woman from Birmingham, England, has survived a life-threatening bout of sepsis that doctors believe began after her pet dog licked a small wound, leading to multiple cardiac arrests and amputations of all four limbs.In July 2025, 56-year-old Manjeet Sangha came home from work feeling unwell. By the next day, her husband, Kam Sangha, 60, found her unconscious on the sofa. Her lips were blue and her hands and feet felt icy cold. An ambulance was called immediately.Cam told the BBC: “Your mind is all over the place. You’re thinking: How could this happen in less than 24 hours?” One minute on Saturday she was playing with the dog, on Sunday she went to work, and on Monday night she was in a coma.Manjeet was taken to the intensive care unit at New Cross Hospital and placed in a medically induced coma. While in the hospital, her condition was so serious that she went into cardiac arrest six times, and doctors were not sure she would survive.Doctors later diagnosed her with sepsis, a serious infection where the body harms its own organs. They believe it may have started when bacteria got into a small cut or scrape, perhaps after her dog licked it.
As her condition worsened, Manjit developed a rare complication of sepsis called disseminated intravascular coagulation, which causes abnormal blood clotting throughout the body. To save her life, surgeons had to amputate her legs below the knee and both hands. She also had her spleen removed after suffering from pneumonia and gallstones.Manjeet spent more than 7 months in the hospital and gradually started to recover.
Now she’s back home, her family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of advanced prosthetics, physical therapy, mental health support and home adaptations to make her living space more accessible.“Manjeet is understandably devastated. She is mourning the life she once lived, where simple tasks like picking up a glass of water were easy,” her family wrote. “We are committed to helping Manjeet rebuild her life,” they added.Manjit expressed her determination to regain her independence and return to work with prosthetics. “I want to walk,” she said. She added: “I want to get my prosthetic limbs so I can go back to work. I’ve sat in my chair and bed long enough. It’s time to walk now.”She hopes that by sharing her story, others will heed her warning about the seriousness of sepsis. “It can happen to anyone,” she added.
